Chapter 119: Former Subordinates

Just because my second sister-in-law has her mind wandered doesn’t mean that everyone else is the same.

The first is the always calm and composed Madam Mo. Having been a military officer's family member for most of her life, she has some understanding of the power of hidden weapons.

Looking at her son's serious expression when he spoke, she knew that this hidden weapon was definitely not ordinary.

"Jiuye, don't worry, I will keep a close eye on your sisters-in-law and Hanyue, and will not let them easily expose this hidden weapon to others."

The eldest sister-in-law took the lead in expressing her opinion: "We will all follow the arrangements made by mother and my ninth brother and his wife."

The other sisters-in-law also whispered that they must keep the hidden weapon away and not let anyone see it.

Time was running out, so Mo Jiuye explained to his family how to use the mini pistol and the precautions to take.

If anyone does not understand, he should ask privately those who have already learned it.

Each person was given a mini pistol. After the distribution was completed, Peng Wang also started to prepare for the journey.

This day was calm and nothing unexpected happened.

Even so, He Zhiran and Mo Jiuye did not let down their guard.

The two have even decided not to go into the space to rest at night for the next few days, for fear that if an assassin appears, they will not be able to detect him in the space.

The team marched smoothly for three days and finally arrived at the county town where they could resupply supplies before dusk and stayed in an inn.

What was somewhat surprising was that apart from their group of guests, the inn was almost deserted.

The shopkeeper sat at the door listlessly.

Peng Wang took the initiative to greet the shopkeeper.

"Manager Liu, how are you?"

The laziness in Manager Liu's tone was undeniable.

"Master Peng, if you had come two days later, I'm afraid you wouldn't be able to stay at my inn."

Peng Wang also noticed that the inn's business was bleak and asked, "Manager Liu, what happened?"

"Oh... don't mention it. Not long ago, a group of bandits appeared in our Xiangyang County. These people are really something. They never steal from ordinary people. They only target the rich and powerful, and secretly help the poor."

Peng Wang was puzzled: "Isn't this a good thing? What does it have to do with your inn?"

Shopkeeper Liu smiled bitterly.

"It really has nothing to do with my inn. It's just that the actions of those bandits have scared off many foreign merchants, and they dare not come to our Xiangyang County to do business. As a result, these inns in our county have almost no business."

It was the first time that Peng Wang had heard of such a bandit who robbed the rich to help the poor, so he decided to ask him in detail.

"As Shopkeeper Liu said, those bandits rob the rich to give to the poor. It's impossible for them to steal from everyone, right?"

"That's right. Even if they are rich and powerful, they will target those who are rich but unkind." Shopkeeper Liu replied.

Peng Wang frowned, "If that's the case, then those merchants shouldn't be so worried, right?"

Shopkeeper Liu sighed again.

"That's the truth, but the common people have made the rumors about those bandits seem like legends. Anyone with a little money wants to stay away from them. As a result, fewer and fewer outsiders are coming to Xiangyang County."

Peng Wang could only treat this as gossip. After all, these officials were very poor and the prisoners didn't have much money, so they didn't worry about it being stolen.

What's more, people have said that those bandits rob the rich to help the poor, which has nothing to do with people like them.

Without further investigation, Peng Wang asked Manager Liu to help arrange guest rooms so that everyone could go back and rest.

It was still the same as before, those who couldn't afford the rent had to go to the woodshed in the backyard...

He Zhiran and Mo Jiuye still chose a room for two. When they were resting at night, Mo Jiuye suddenly felt something strange.

He rushed out of the house quickly and jumped towards the roof.

He Zhiran also chased out, but Mo Jiuye was too fast. When she went out, she couldn't see Mo Jiuye at all, so she could only go back to the room and wait.

Mo Jiuye chased the black shadows on the roof for a long distance, and only when they were far away from the residence did the men in black stop.

"Who are you?" Mo Jiuye asked in a deep voice.

The man in black discovered that someone was chasing him and wanted to lead the person to a secluded place before taking action.

When they heard this familiar voice, they immediately took off the masks on their faces and knelt on one knee in front of Mo Jiuye.

"This subordinate Liang Hao pays homage to the Duke."

"Liang Hao, why are you here?" Mo Jiuye was obviously a little surprised.

As he spoke, he strode forward and helped the people who were kneeling on the ground to their feet.

Liang Hao pointed at the people behind him and said, "Duke, we heard that the Duke's Mansion was confiscated and exiled, so we resigned from our official positions and waited to meet you here."

Mo Jiuye looked at the people behind Liang Hao.

Song Chao, Wang Dali, Xu Qingfeng, and Li Mingrui.

These people were all generals trained by his father, brothers and himself. After he returned to Beijing, these people continued to stay at the border to guard it.

Unexpectedly, these people were so loyal to the Mohist school that they chose to resign and come here under such circumstances.

Mo Jiuye did not quite agree with their approach.

“You’ve worked so hard to get to your current position, why do you have to endure this?

What's more, now that the entire Mohist family has been exiled, there will be no future for you following me."

Liang Hao led a few people to kneel on one knee again: "We have been with the Duke for many years, through thick and thin together. No one knows better than us whether you are collaborating with the enemy and betraying the country. This is obviously nonsense.

The court treats meritorious officials like you unfairly, and we will never work for such a tyrant."

These words were spoken forcefully, showing Liang Hao and others' dissatisfaction with the court.

Mo Jiuye knew very well that these people had already resigned from their official positions, and no matter how much he said, it would be of no use.

"In that case, what are your plans for the future?"

The five people answered in unison: "Wherever the Duke is, there we are."

Mo Jiuye had no objection to this. These people were orphans who were unwanted since childhood and were taken to the military camp by their fathers and brothers for training. Now they are still alone and have no worries wherever they go.

"I am currently an exiled prisoner of the imperial court. I will not be free until I reach the northwest. It is inconvenient for you to follow the exile group all the way. Let's meet up in the northwest."

"No, we will follow the Duke all the way to protect the safety of you and your family." Liang Hao retorted.

When it comes to the safety of his family, Mo Jiuye hesitated.

Having Liang Hao and the others follow can indeed play a big role when encountering danger.

"In that case, just follow the team from a distance and don't arouse other people's suspicion."

After a pause, he added, "Also, I'm no longer the Duke of the State. You should address me differently from now on."

Liang Hao pondered for a moment and said, "How about we continue to call you Master Jiu like we used to?"

According to Mo Jiuye, they are all ordinary people without any official positions, and these people are older than him, so it is okay to call him by his name.

But thinking about the respectful attitude that Liang Hao and the others always had towards the Mo family, they were probably not going to agree to call his name, so Mo Jiuye simply went along with them.

"Okay, that's what I'll call you!"